Psychology conversion after maths degree

You can become one through a conversion course, yeah. See here, under 'How do I become one'?

http://www.bps.org.uk/careers-education-training/how-become-psychologist/types-psychologists/becoming-clinical-psychologis

And for a list of conversion courses...

http://www.bps.org.uk/bpslegacy/ac?frmAction=results&CourseType=CONV&Search_Type=NC

Ooh, thanks that's really helpful It doesn't say how long those courses usually last, do you know how many years they'd be?

It doesn't say how long those courses usually last, do you know how many years they'd be?

Remember that would just be length of time to complete the conversion course. To qualify as a clinical psychologist you would need to complete the 3 year DClinPsy course after this. Also, it's possible that it might take a few years to get a place on this course after completing your conversion, but obviously this depends on a number of factors (e.g. amount of relevant work experience/qualifications/personal statement/performance at interview etc.)

You need paid work experience to get onto a clinical psychology doctorate (or any psychology doctorate really)

Would you have to do that same course after a regular psychology degree?



How do you get paid work experience without already having the qualification?

Not as a clinical psychologist, but in a related field, like a health care assistant

Would you have to do that same course after a regular psychology degree?


How do you get paid work experience without already having the qualification?

Yeah if you want to do clinical it's the same doctorate course you have to complete whether you've done the conversion course or the full undergraduate degree.

You can apply for paid work as a support worker, healthcare/nursing assistant or research assistant without needing a psychology qualification. If you can find relevant voluntary work it can be helpful for gaining a paid position in the future.

OK thanks. So (for example) if I decided to do a conversion course after my degree, I could get some work experience after the course and then apply for the doctorate? Sorry for all the questions

It's okay

Well, not exactly... the doctorate courses require you to have a minimum of 1 year's relevant clinical experience (e.g. usually as an assistant psychologist or in a similar type job role). Unfortunately support work etc. isn't viewed as sufficient/relevant enough to meet this criteria but what people usually do is use this experience to then apply for the assistant psychologist jobs which do count as relevant clinical experience.

Most AP jobs require you to have already completed your conversion/degree course as you need to have GBC from the BPS to apply, although it isn't unheard of to find ones that will take on final year undergrads (usually unpaid I think). These posts are hugely competitive though If you have a look on the clearing house website you can find details of what the entry criteria are for the DClinPsy courses & that'll give you a better idea of what you need to work towards http://www.leeds.ac.uk/chpccp/

OK thanks. All seems rather scary and complicated now But basically I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to ensure I have the psychology option open when doing a degree, and I can think of the other stuff if I decide to go down that route afterwards.


So do you (or anyone) know if there are any conversion courses which will be BPS accredited and will take you even if you have done a degree with no psychology in it at all? And if not, then which degree courses are available which are not pure psychology, but have enough psychology to do a conversion course afterwards?

It does seem scary but it is possible! Don't let me put you off, it's just that a lot of people think that by doing a psychology degree they can get onto a clinical doctorate course straightaway & it's better to understand that it isn't quite that straightforward and learn what's involved in the process now and take steps to work towards achieving this, rather than a few years down the line (i.e. you don't have to wait until you graduate to start looking for relevant experience).

Yes there are BPS accredited conversion courses that will take you on without having studied psychology previously. Let me know what sort of geographical location you'd be looking to do the course in & I'll see what I can find (I'm currently procrastinating with my coursework so might as well do something productive, even if it's not for me lol )